ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A podium finish, a trip to the finals and a strong start in the combined events began the weekend for the Purdue track & field team at the 2024 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Friday.
Junior Cale Ayers placed second in the hammer throw and graduate student Cameron Miller qualified for the final with the fastest time in the 200-meter on the opening day of the three-day conference championship meet. Additionally, sophomore Bryanna Craig and freshman Andreas Hantson led the way for the Boilermakers to commence competition in the heptathlon and decathlon, respectively.
Ayers posted Purdue's first podium finish of the weekend, as he was seventh in the hammer throw. A personal-best mark of 62.67 meters on his sixth and final attempt gave Ayers his first spot on the podium at a Big Ten Championships in his career. Ayers' best throws were his last two, as a 61.58m on his fifth attempt was what secured the top-eight finish.
Purdue's first running event of the championships was the 200m prelims, where Miller notched the top overall time. He crossed the finish line in 20.38 seconds to advance to Sunday's final. Miller, who was 0.05 seconds shy of tying his school-record time set a month ago, posted the day's best time by 0.12 seconds.
The day began with the opening events of the decathlon and heptathlon. Halfway through the decathlon, with five events completed, Hantson is in second place with 3,958 points and senior Logan Sandlin is in eighth with 3,607 points. Hantson's day featured three PRs, including a high jump clearance of 2.04m to place first and a long jump mark of 7.16m-w to finish second. Sandlin posted three personal-records and a season best, highlighted by a fifth place showing in the long jump thanks to a 6.92m-w.
Craig sits in third place in the heptathlon after four events with 3,208 points and sophomore Jalen Elrod is in sixth place in the heptathlon with 3,136 points. Craig's day was fueled by a wind-legal PR in the 100m hurdles of 14.06 to place third, and she added a PR in the shot put (11.26m). Elrod notched a trio of collegiate-bests on Friday, including in the 200m in 24.85 to place third and in the 100m hurdles in 14.08-w to finish fourth.
Also on Friday, junior Nathan Walker notched a personal-record time in the 10,000m (29:50.49) to conclude the day, and sophomore Nolan Macklin ran a season-best time in all conditions in the 200m (21.26).
The three-day meet continues on Saturday, May 11, as the decathlon resumes at 9:30 a.m. ET and the heptathlon starts its second day 45 minutes later. The Boilermakers' field events commence at 2:15 p.m. and the opening running event is at 4 p.m. The day will finish at approximately 7 p.m. The meet wraps up on Sunday, May 12, with field events at 11 a.m. and running events at 12:45 p.m. The championships will finish at approximately 4 p.m.
Fans unable to cheer on the Boilermakers in person can follow along with live results, and watch all of the action live on B1G+ (Saturday Track | Saturday Field | Sunday Track | Sunday Field), with a B1G+ subscription required. Additional championships information, including tickets and the complete schedule, is available at BigTen.org and MGoBlue.com. Updates from Ann Arbor can be found by following and connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Direct links to follow along also are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/TrackField and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook.
Junior Cale Ayers placed second in the hammer throw and graduate student Cameron Miller qualified for the final with the fastest time in the 200-meter on the opening day of the three-day conference championship meet. Additionally, sophomore Bryanna Craig and freshman Andreas Hantson led the way for the Boilermakers to commence competition in the heptathlon and decathlon, respectively.
Ayers posted Purdue's first podium finish of the weekend, as he was seventh in the hammer throw. A personal-best mark of 62.67 meters on his sixth and final attempt gave Ayers his first spot on the podium at a Big Ten Championships in his career. Ayers' best throws were his last two, as a 61.58m on his fifth attempt was what secured the top-eight finish.
Purdue's first running event of the championships was the 200m prelims, where Miller notched the top overall time. He crossed the finish line in 20.38 seconds to advance to Sunday's final. Miller, who was 0.05 seconds shy of tying his school-record time set a month ago, posted the day's best time by 0.12 seconds.
The day began with the opening events of the decathlon and heptathlon. Halfway through the decathlon, with five events completed, Hantson is in second place with 3,958 points and senior Logan Sandlin is in eighth with 3,607 points. Hantson's day featured three PRs, including a high jump clearance of 2.04m to place first and a long jump mark of 7.16m-w to finish second. Sandlin posted three personal-records and a season best, highlighted by a fifth place showing in the long jump thanks to a 6.92m-w.
Craig sits in third place in the heptathlon after four events with 3,208 points and sophomore Jalen Elrod is in sixth place in the heptathlon with 3,136 points. Craig's day was fueled by a wind-legal PR in the 100m hurdles of 14.06 to place third, and she added a PR in the shot put (11.26m). Elrod notched a trio of collegiate-bests on Friday, including in the 200m in 24.85 to place third and in the 100m hurdles in 14.08-w to finish fourth.
Also on Friday, junior Nathan Walker notched a personal-record time in the 10,000m (29:50.49) to conclude the day, and sophomore Nolan Macklin ran a season-best time in all conditions in the 200m (21.26).
The three-day meet continues on Saturday, May 11, as the decathlon resumes at 9:30 a.m. ET and the heptathlon starts its second day 45 minutes later. The Boilermakers' field events commence at 2:15 p.m. and the opening running event is at 4 p.m. The day will finish at approximately 7 p.m. The meet wraps up on Sunday, May 12, with field events at 11 a.m. and running events at 12:45 p.m. The championships will finish at approximately 4 p.m.
Fans unable to cheer on the Boilermakers in person can follow along with live results, and watch all of the action live on B1G+ (Saturday Track | Saturday Field | Sunday Track | Sunday Field), with a B1G+ subscription required. Additional championships information, including tickets and the complete schedule, is available at BigTen.org and MGoBlue.com. Updates from Ann Arbor can be found by following and connecting with the Boilermakers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Direct links to follow along also are available on the schedule page at PurdueSports.com/TrackField.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/TrackField and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook.